Woodcutting machine



Jan. 6, 1942. J. J. BACON ,2

WOODCUTTING MACBINE Filed May 2, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ani J6 n I W I l l 1 1 I 4: '1 ll Qrwe/wto'b Mclfiamv Jan. 6, 1942. v J. J. BACON 2,269,352

WOODCUTTING- MACHINE Filed May 2, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Job Jflacm Jan. 6, 1942. J. J. BACON WOODCUTTINQ MACHINE Filed May 2, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Jan. 6, 1942 WOODOUTTING MACHINE John J. Bacon, Gasport, N. Y.

Application May 2, 1939, Serial No. 271,338 3 Claims. (91. 144-176) This invention relates to machines for cutting strips or slats from blocks of wood or other material and more particularly to such a machine of the rotating disc type with automatic feedfeatures adaptable for use in connection with ma terial of varying thicknesses for the production of slats suitable for use in making fruit crates and the like.

In modern fruit packing practice large quantities of wooden crates, boxes, baskets andthe like are used. In order that the baskets, crates, etc., shall have a good appearance and furnish substantial protection for the materials packed therein it is necessary that the slats or strips of wood from which the packages are prepared shall be relatively smooth-surfaced, strong andrigid. Present methods of cutting such materials contemplate sawing and planing, rotary cutven'eers or veneers cut by a radially positioned blade carried on a rotating disc. 1

The sawing and planingmethod Wastes nearly half of the raw material in the loss of sawdust and shavings thus increasing the cost of operations.

The rotary cut veneers require the best quality timber and when such veneers are stored there is considerable. difnculty arising from excessive shrinkage and swelling of the material. When the material is dried so that it will not mildew When placed in fruit and vegetable storages, it will swell or wash-board in such a manner as to make it undesirable. The sawed or sliced stock being cut across the grain does not ordinarily swell to an extent commensurate to rotary cut stock and so is more desirable for use in fruit receptacles where the fruit is to be kept in a more or less damp storagabut because of the waste of material this method is disadvantageous.

In the cutting of slats or strips by the use of radially positioned blades .on a rotating cutting head, the disadvantages of the sawing and planing or rotary cut methods have been lessened but it will be seen that this method, too, involves a cut parallel to the grain andso results in disadvantages such as a roughsurface more or less susceptible to splintering.

minor inequalities in the thickness of the blocks become injured by the penetration into his flesh of such a sliver. The means which are provided by this invention'for overcoming this difficulty is a block of hard metal'disposed at the end of the feed table nearest the cutting head and against which the shearing knives of the head make contact in completing the cutting of a strip.

By overcoming the above difliculties it is found that there is produced a slat or strip of uniformly good characteristics having a smooth surface quite resistant to absorption of moisture and having clean, splinter-free edges. There is, how-' ever, no machine known to the art prior to the present invention which includes feed means capable of continuously presenting wooden blocks to the cutter head in such a manner that the whole of each of such blocks will be formed into suitable slats or strips. A suitable continuous I feed mechanism is provided as an important part 20* termined solely by" the rate at which the slats or strips are cutv and which automatically adjusts itself to the size of eachindividual block" being handled. I 1

Briefly, the invention contempiates a rotary cutting head carrying slatc'utti'ng knives, each of which is mounted at an angle to that radius of the head which passes through the center of" the blade to insure that the, strip will be severed from the block by a shearing action; a shear block upon which the edge of the block being cut rests and which makes positive shearing contact with each cutting knife in turn to prevent slivering of the strips; and a continuous feed device of a nature which automatically adjusts itself to being fed to' the cutting head.

By the use of the machinexof the present inof wear on the machine itself.

,Another major disadvantage encountered in connection with the use of rotary cutting heads is that the lower edge of the strip, that is the edge at which the knife leaves the block, tends to become splintered or slivered to such an extent as to render the same diflicult to handle in the manufacture of baskets and crates andpotentially dangerous due to the fact-that thejuser may It is an object of the present invention to provide a slat cutting machine of the rotatable disc type having an automatic feed which will produce slats of uniform thickness which are substantially free from slivers orother objectionable characteristics heretofore deemed unavoidable.

In addition to the advantages of the present invention in the production of a superior finished strip, by the employment of the present machine the waste of material heretofore incident to either sawing or planing methods is avoided and at the same time the advantages incident to such methods are retained in that the cut is not made by a cutting device acting parallel to the grain of the block. In the production of slats by the use of the machine here under consideration speeds of operation heretofore unobtainable have been reached. These speed advantages arise from first, the rigidity of structure which permits the rotation of the disc at high peripheral speeds; second, an automatic feeding mechanism synchronized with the rotation of the disc and automatically adjustable irrespective of the thickness of the cut desired and third an easy adjustment of the feeding mechanism to accommodate blocks of varying thickness.

Another object of the present invention is to provide means for protecting those portions of the machine subjected to the greatest wear and to make such protecting means readily replaceable so that maintenance expense can be reduced to a minimum.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings in which: I

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine made in accordance with the invention, showing the details of the preferred feeding mechanism;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the machine, partially in section and omitting portions of the feeding mechanism;

Figure 3 is a cross-section of the machine taken directly back of the feed mechanism showing in dotted lines the adjustment thereof;

Figure 4 is a detailed plan view taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a detailed view of the ratchet wheel and pawls forming part of the feed mechanism;

Figure 6 is a detailed view partially in section showing means for adjusting the blade for cutting slats of varying thickness; and

Figure 7 is a front elevation of the disc partially broken away illustrating the position of the blade with respect to a radius of the disc.

Referring to the drawings in greater detail and more particularly to Figures 1 to 3 thereof, a disc I is provided keyed to and driven by a shaft suitably supported at I2 and which may be actuated from a belt passed over the periphery thereof. Mounted on disc I0 adjacent generally rectangular openings therein are blades I3 adapted for the cutting of the blocks I4. Such blocks I4 are manually supplied to feeding chains I actuated through a linkage, hereinafter described, by cam surface I6 on the disc II]. By rotation of adjustment gears H, the upper feed chains I5 may be raised or lowered to accommodate blocks I4 of varying thickness. The chains I5 then receive therebetween the blocks I4 and move the same forward to be cut by blade I3.

The supports I2 are maintined in position by suitable I-beams I8 and I9 which may be of varying height depending upon the desired length of blades I3 and consequently the diameter of the disc I0. Suitably mounted on the beams I2 are bearings 2|] and 2| which receive the shaft II. The blocks from which the slats are to be cut are placed on a suitable support 22 and are manually urged in the direction of the disc I0 until they are received between the said chains I5. The feed chains I5 may be of any suitable numher to accommodate the length of the block being fed into the cutting disc I0. As illustrated in Figure 3, twelve such chains are provided, constituting a suitable number for a blade of two feet in length. The feed chains I5 are arranged in two banks, one of which is superimposed with respect to the other and they are in engagement with sprockets 23, 24, 25 and 26 keyed respectively to shafts 21, 28, 29 and 30.

The shafts 21 and 28 are mounted for rotation in generally U-shaped supports 3| which comprise bearings for such shafts. The shafts 29 I and 30 are similarly mounted within stationary brace 32 which is secured to I-beam I8. The supports 3| are mounted for reciprocation on brace 32 and are constructed in generally U- shape to prevent interference with the screws 33 as shown in Figure 4. Also mounted for reciprocation on brace 32 are supports 34 which threadedly receive the screws 33 and are movable thereby. The support 3| is suspended from support 34 through bolts 35, the Weight being supported by nuts 36. Springs 31 are interposed intermediate supports 3| and supports 34 so that the former will be constantly resiliently urged toward the top surface of the blocks I4. Screws 33 are operable by means of a crank 38 which actuates shaft 39 to which are keyed bevel gears II engaging bevel gears 40 which are in turn keyed to shafts 33. The tension of springs 31 is adjustable by turning nuts 35 and the springs are provided to resiliently maintain the chains I5 carried by supports 3| in engagement with the top surface of the block I4. This resilience will constitute a compensation for minor variations in thickness of blocks after the major adjustment of the upper chains I5 has been made to accommodate blocks of a given general thickness.

When the blocks I4 are received between the chains I5 they are carried forward by the motion of such chains which is caused by the movement of a linkage by the cam surface I6 on the disc I0. When the disc I0 rotates it will be noted that cams I6 will strike roller 40 which is fastened at the end of link 4|. Link 4| .is movable about an axis 42 at which point it is rotatably supported by stationary plate 43 permanently fastened to support I8. As link 4| oscillates in response to the action of cam I 6, link 44 fastened thereto at point 45 will be caused to reciprocate. This reciprocation is imparted to rod 46 which is keyed to shaft 41 to which is also keyed segment 48, thus causing the segment to oscillate. Bearing surfaces for the shaft 41 are provided at 43 and in stationary brace 32. The segment 48 has rotatably fitted therein a rod 49 through which is passed a rod 50 in a manner such that rod 50 slides freely through an opening in rod 49 intermediate the ends thereof. Between the rod 49 and one end of the rod 50, a spring 5| is provided, such spring being compressed by the action of nut 52. At the other end of the rod 50 a segment 53 is provided which segment is rotatably mounted on shaft 30. Suitably mounted near the periphery of the segment 53 are a plurality of pawls 54 mounted for rotation on shaft 55. These pawls are for use in conjunction with I ratchet wheel 55 keyed to shaft 30. Consequentconnected tov segment 48. This shaft. is slidably fastened to segment 58 and has provided intermediate its end and the fastening point 59 a spring 80 corresponding in function tospring The segment 58 acts on the ratchet Wheel iii in the same manner. as the segment 53 on the sprocket 58 namely through a series of pawls. It will be noted that when the screw 33 is actuated to move the upper feed chains l5 into en- I gagement with the blocks. the segment 58 being freely rotatable about the shaft .28 will move about its axis but Will not vary from its functional relationship insofar as the pawls carried thereby are concerned. it will be observedtli'at the pawls actingpon ratchet wheel 65 operate in the opposite, direction from those acting upon ratchet wheel 56, so that sprockets 24-26 will be driven to cause the runs of the chains which contact the blocks to move in a direction toward the rotating disc in.

A plurality of pawls 54 are provided to cooperate with both ratchet wheels 56 and BI so that the feed will be constant irrespective of the amount of out taken at any given stroke of the knife. See particularly Figure 5. Minor variations are taken up by the springs 51 and 6!! which also function to maintain the blocks resiliently against the disc ill.

With respect to the cutting operation it should be noted that the blade 43 is securely fastened to the disc 36 and that between such blade and the disc 2. number of shims 62 may be placed to vary the amount of cutting accomplished by the blade at any given stroke thereof. It will be seen that this is the only adjustment necessary to vary the cutting, the feeding mechanism being automatically adjustable by virtue of the plurality of pawls 54, and the springs 5| and 6B which always hold the block tight against the cutting head It. Th multiple arrangement of the pawls 54 is provided so that one pair of pawls will always contact without loss of motion.

The position of the blade as illustrated in Figure '7 is such that the normal rotation of the disc will cause the cut to be in the nature of a shearing. This is of considerable importance since it obviates the parallel out of the prior art machines which has been found injurious to the grain of the wood. Mounted on the disc Hi just ahead of the blade I3 are a series of wear resistant surfaces 63 against which the block will be urged by the feeding mechanism. These surfaces arereadily replaceable and are of assistance in maintaining the surface of the disc itself in good condition over long periods of operation. The importance of the members 63 will be clear when it is considered that any wear on the disc It will tend to unbalance the same and cause variations in the thickness of out. Referring particularly to Figure 1, it will be seen that the disc is provided with a peripheral flange 10 which acts as a stiffening member and may also receive a belt for a peripheral drive.

Referring particularly to Figure 6 of the draw ings, it will be noted that a support 64 is provided intermediate the sprockets 26 and the surface of disc Hi. This support which is suitably fastened to beams l2 has a shear bar 65 against which the blades l3 shear the last of the cut. Because of the extension of shear bar 65 slightly beyond the edge of support 64, splintering is substantially avoided. Just below the blade opening in the disc I!) a removable pressure bar 66 is provided. This bar has been foundto guide the lumber, to the blade in a manner to secure a more accurate splinter free cut.

,The operation of the device is as follows. A number of blocks [4 are placed over the lower feed chains [5 and by suitable adjustment of screw 33 upper feed chains I5 are placed in engagement with the upper surface of the blocks. Thesechains are resiliently maintained in position by the action of springs 31. The device is then set into motion causing the disc ID to rotate. The speed of the machine will depend upon the diameter of the cutting head and for a fourfoot diameter disc a speed of 250 R. P. M. is contemplated. As the diameter increases, the speed will be somewhat reduced so that a six-foot diameter-disc will be run at about 150 R. P. M. 'As the disc rotates in the manner shown by the arrow in Figure 3 the linkage 4|, 44, 46 will cause the segment 48 to move about its axis 41. This action will bring about the reciprocation of rods 50 and 51 which in turn will rock segments 53 and 58 about their axes on shafts 28 and 3|. As the segments are oscillated the pawls 54 will engage their respective ratchets causing the shafts 28 and 3| to rotate thus actuating the sprockets 34 and 26 to drivechains l5 thus feeding the blocks into the cutting mechanism.

As has been said before, th depth of the cut may be adjusted by inserting any desirable number of shims 62 between the disc l0 and the blade I3. Such an adjustment will not affect the constant feed of blocks I4 through the runs of chains l5. It will be noted that in the event there is a very narrow cut taken such that it is not necessary to feed a full notch in the ratchet wheels 566l for every given stroke, the reciprocation of the rods 50-51 will merely compress springs 5|60, thus resiliently maintaining the bllock constant against the surface of the disc I represented by a single notch in the ratchet wheel may be fed because of the provision of a plurality of pawls 54.

As the blocks I4 are forced against the surface of disc I 0 they are contacted by members 63. One of the blades I3 then cuts across the block as shown by the lines in Figure 7, the slat thus produced being ejected through the opening in disc I0.

Although the above description has reference to a specific embodiment of the invention, it will be apparent that many modifications thereof are possible. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except insofar as is necessitated by the prior art andby the spirit of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A machine for cutting slats from wooden blocks comprising a disc having an adjustable and lower endless conveyors for clamping a block therebetween and feeding the same to the blade, said conveyors running at right angles to the surface of the disc, a vertically movable member,

Of course, amounts of wood less than that a screw acting upon said member for vertically moving the same, a support for the upper conveyor, said support being suspended from said vertically movable member, resilient means interposed between said conveyor support and said vertically movable member, a cam on the disc, means operable by said cam to actuate intermittently in unison said conveyors, a portion of said means being permanently attached and movable with said upper conveyor to drive the same in any adjusted position.

3. A machine for cutting slices from wooden blocks and the like comprising, a driven disc having a blade thereon in shearing position, means upper and lower endless conveyors for clamping a block therebetween and feeding the same to for adjusting th amount of cut of the blade, 15

the blade, means for vertically adjusting one of said conveyors to accommodate blocks of difierent thicknesses, a cam on the disc, means operable by said cam to actuate intermittently in unison said conveyors, automatic means constituting apart of said cam-operated means for varying the amplitude of movement of said con- \veyors proportional to the amount of cut of the blade, a portion of said cam-operated means being movable with the vertically adjustable conveyor to drive the same in any adjusted position.

JOHN J. BACON. 

